Stephanie Garma Balón, MA, AMFT

Mental Health Clinician and Co-Chair, FMHI-SMC

San Francisco

Stephanie Garma Balón, MA, AMFT (she/her) is a second-generation Pinay-American, & proud Mama—born in SF, raised in Daly City/SF (Ohlone land), and is of Ilokano & Visayan decent. As an Expressive Arts Therapist at StarVista in Northern San Mateo County (SMC) providing individual and group therapy to youth, parents, and families, Stephanie leans on her belief in the transformative healing power of the arts. This inspires her to intentionally integrate ritual, visual art, writing, and poetry in her professional and personal practice, especially as it relates to her continuous decolonial healing journey. As both a clinician and activist, Stephanie’s work is rooted in trauma-informed care, narrative & relational-cultural therapeutic approaches. Her heartwork and hustle includes over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector and has an extensive community mental health advocacy background addressing health inequities amongst underserved populations, namely within the Filipinx community. As Co-chair of the Filipino Mental Health Initiative of SMC, she co-created the first social enterprise cultural center/cafe in North SMC (anticipated to break ground in 2022) that aims to increase access to culturally responsive mental health support and provide an intergenerationally engaging & healing, gathering space for the Filipinx community. Stephanie has also sat on Congresswoman Jackie Speier’s Asian American Advisory Committee to advise on the status of the Filipinx community’s wellness to develop culturally relevant strategies of engagement.